Our suggestions have helped candidates to  prepare for phone and on-site interviews, handling common and difficult or unexpected interview situations.

 

The purpose of the initial interview is for you to sell yourself and your skills as a potential employee who would be a valuable contributor to the company.  You may also gather information on the position, the work environment, etc.  But inquiries about what the company is prepared to do for you should be saved for subsequent discussions.

 

Be positive! Managers and companies like people with positive outlooks and can-do attitudes. Think about the positive qualities you like in co-workers and emphasize the specific qualities you possess which fit that ideal.

 

Approach each person you speak with as if that person, regardless of level, will have critical input on the decision to offer you the job. This includes people in Human Resources or anyone else you meet at the company.

 

Dress appropriately. Generally this means business formal. It is always better to be over-dressed than to give a too careless impression. If you arrive unexpectedly into a casual environment, relax your dress to fit in and be comfortable. However, to go for an interview in less than professional attire, even where the staff is dressed casually, can create the wrong impression.

 

Our most important advice for interviewees is: You should always prepare for your interview. Just as you would prepare for any other important business meeting, it is imperative that you set aside specific time to prepare for your phone or personal interview. It is preferable to prepare your presentation in writing as you do not want to forget anything important in your background.  Begin by reviewing your background against what you know of the job requirements.  Outline the primary strengths you would bring to the position.

You should be prepared to discuss in detail the following:

 

Technical Professionals:

a. Projects you have you have worked on. .

b. Skills which are of particular interest to the company.

c. Your dedication to your work and your commitment to your employers

d. Your ability to work with other staff, technical and non-technical

e. Positive reviews or praise you have received from your managers or clients. However, do not bring copies of your performance reviews. There are often points in a performance review which seem insignificant to the employee but which may easily raise a red-flag to a hiring manager.

g. Any articles or other technical related outside work you may have done which bears upon the new work.

f. Description of code or products you’ve worked on which are noteworthy but not confidential. Copies are not appropriate unless specifically requested.

 

Management Candidates:

It is common for management candidates to get probing ‘situational’ questions such as: “Give examples of when you’ve disagreed with corporate policy and how you handled it”.  “What sort of employee problems have you dealt with?”  “Under what circumstances you would fire someone?”  Review what you know of the job requirements and try to anticipate what types of situations you might encounter in the role and prepare answers to ‘situational’ questions which would relate.  Be prepared to provide examples from your work history.

Be prepared to answer other questions such as:

a. Descriptions of corporate or departmental improvements you directed in your recent positions.  The goals and results of major projects you’ve directed.

b. The budgetary responsibilities you’ve had.

c. The number of people or groups you’ve directly supervised.

 

All candidates should be prepared to answer basic questions such as:

“Why you are leaving your current position?”

This can be a sticky question and, unless your answer is very straight forward (“I’m relocating” or “My department is closing”) needs to be thought about carefully.  Answers such as “I got laid off” or “I get bored easily and want something new” can leave serious and often unspoken questions in your interviewer’s mind.  These same answers can be presented honestly but tactfully.  Review this topic with your recruiter.

“What are you looking for in your next position?”

“Why did you leave previous positions?”

“What do you consider to be your main strengths and weaknesses?”

Answers to questions regarding gaps in your employment history or any area of your record which would be puzzling to a prospective employer should be prepared carefully.

 

Always prepare questions for your interviewer.  People who do not ask questions look like they’re not thinking.  Some possibilities include:

a. How you would fit into the company’s structure

b. What are the goals for the department

c. Specifics on the job responsibilities which are not clear to you.

d. How does the company fit into its section of its industry or other general business questions about the company.

 

Always review the company’s website and any other information you can gather.  Make sure you are clear about what the company’s main products or services are.

 

QUESTIONS NOT TO ASK:

1. Anything relating to salary. Avoid discussing salary questions. Avoid giving any specific replies to questions, except matters of fact about you current compensation. Do everything possible to avoid stating a figure, you want them to make an offer. Even stating a range can be awkward, although it is better than stating a specific figure.

Example:

"I really do not know what to say. I want to be fairly compensated for my work. I would like to hear from you what you feel I would be worth to your organization."

2. Benefits and other such details can be discussed if and when an offer is forthcoming. There is no need to ask about that initially, but it is much safer to get details on the benefits than to discuss salary.

 

Special Notes on Phone Interviewing:

The phone interview is often a company’s most important screening step and obviously determines whether you will have the opportunity for a full interview.

Phone interviews require extra attention because only your voice comes across. Prepare as if this were a full interview but plan on making your statements more succinct. Make sure that you are alone and can concentrate fully on the conversation without distractions. Disable call waiting and do not interrupt the interview due to other calls. Make special effort to speak clearly and slowly so that you can be fully understood. If you speak with an accent this is especially important.

Be extremely careful not to ramble or go off on tangents.  Pause frequently to allow the interviewer to interject questions.

 

A good manager will try to make the phone interview as casual and comfortable as possible in order to get the best sense of who you are. You must always remember that you are in an interview and that there is a hiring manager on the other end of the line. Without the office environment and the person before you, it is possible to fall into too casual a manner and forget to present yourself in a fully professional manner.